


wild card.

by Ursa_Tattoo



Series: Undarcop AU [17]
Category: The LEGO Movie (2014)
Genre: (a bit in the middle there), (pigeon meme) is this coppernauts?, (referenced only) - Freeform, Alternate Universe, Enemies to Lovers, Established Relationship, Flashbacks, Guns, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, M/M, Multi, Panic Attacks, Pre-Relationship, Self-Doubt, Swearing, Triggers, Undar!Benny, Undarcop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:21:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22267828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ursa_Tattoo/pseuds/Ursa_Tattoo
Summary: Detective Powers has a new case to work, but trying to go undercover to solve it brings him to someone very familiar who has something important to say.For rnainframe's Cosmo Armstrong and Undarcop AUs.
Relationships: Cosmo Armstrong/Detective Powers, Rex Dangervest/Cosmo Armstrong, Rex Dangervest/Cosmo Armstrong/Detective Powers, Rex Dangervest/Detective Powers
Series: Undarcop AU [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1413283
Kudos: 2





	wild card.

**Author's Note:**

> what, an undarboys fic _not_ focused on rex? one that's nearly 3k words no less? real shocker, i know, but cos and powers deserve their development too
> 
> as always, go to rnainframe's tumblr for more undarcop and cosmo armstrong stuff!

It’s a normal case. Just another day in the life of Detective Blue Powers, though this one requires a bit of going undercover. There’s been a record of an intertemporal arms dealer, going around selling high quality, highly contraband firearms to anyone with the money and the inclination to purchase. No discrimination regarding customers, which makes it all too easy for Powers to set up a clandestine meeting with them, using a burner phone to set up a time and place for a purchase.

The number that one of the Skeletrons found for him is untraceable, highly encrypted and nigh impossible to crack. Whoever this perp is, they’re prepared, and it makes Blue want to prepare extra thoroughly as well.

Loosened hair, unslicked. A pair of his old sunglasses, instead of the more sleek ones associated with his new life. Casual dress from Danny’s side of the closet, even if it’s not his style. Gloves with replaceable mesh palms, in case he needs to use his blasters. Kevlar tucked beneath his casual wear, the leather jacket over it zipped up to hide the bulk.  ~~ Not that being shot particularly scares him. Wouldn’t be the first time. His chest bionics and the accompanying scar show that clearly enough. ~~

The location is chosen by the dealer themself, an old bunker on the outskirts of this timeline’s Syspocalypstar, meant to provide defense from Duplos and other such Systarian adversaries. In peacetime, it’s useless, the materials too dark for anything else, but it’s sturdy, and it’s undeniably private. It’s the perfect place for a meeting like this, undeniably, and Blue goes in, alert, the scanners in his eyes alerting for anything amiss.

_ Three cameras, spaced evenly on the crease between wall and ceiling. Small, unobtrusive. Placed by the target for security purposes? They can be destroyed after this is over. Only one heat signature, no backup. No tech to interface with. _

Even without backup on the target’s part, he can’t help but commend the preparedness. It’d be impressive if he were the type to compliment criminals.

...well, criminals aside from the obvious.

But this has none of Dangervest’s fingerprints anywhere near it. Far too covert, too undiscerning. If this operation belonged to Rex Dangervest, it’d be spelled out in neon lights. For all of his skills, the man has an incessant need to be in the limelight. To be seen.

Given who Rex used to be, it’s... understandable. Still a little ridiculous, but Blue understands the rationale.

But this isn’t the time for thinking of his rival. He has a job to do.

The door creaks quietly as he opens it, and there’s two chairs in the room, an empty foldable table between them. The chair nearest to the door is empty as well, a normal folding chair, but the other is a tall backed rolling chair, the back facing the entrance.

His footsteps are quiet, but the person in the chair clearly hears them, and the chair swivels to face him. His eyes narrow.

The familiar, raspy voice of Cosmo Armstrong filters out of his cracked helmet, and Cosmo’s eyes are narrowed behind the red glass, fingers tented as he makes eye contact with Blue.

“Right on time, Detective. Sit down, will you?” Armstrong’s arms and hands are mostly covered by his bomber jacket and fingerless gloves that match Dangervest’s, but Blue doesn’t miss the fact that the gesture to sit down is made with the robotic arm, the metal fingers glinting in the low light.

Nor does he miss that Armstrong clearly knew he was being set up and expected Blue’s arrival.

Blue steps forward in stiff silence, checking the chair and the surrounding area for traps of any kind. To his surprise, there are none, and he sits down with a measured sort of coolness.

“That would explain why none of Dangervest’s fingerprints were on this case,” he comments. “He used your handiwork.”

Armstrong’s narrowed eyes glint with a harsh vitriol, and Blue feels like he’s on the cusp of something highly hazardous. Dangervest’s reactions can be planned for, mostly, but Armstrong... he’s a wild card. Unpredictable. Volatile.

It seems luck is on Blue’s side, though, as Armstrong rolls his eyes instead of attacking. “Duh, of course Rex’s work isn’t here. He’s got nothing to do with this.”

Blue’s eyebrow raises. “So this is all you, then?”

Armstrong scowls, though the helmet makes it hard to see. “Obviously. What, do you think Rex is my keeper or something? I’m a fucking grown man.”

Little as he can predict Armstrong’s actions,  _ this _ one is one he knows how to handle, and he calmly places his hands together. “I wasn’t implying you aren’t. But you and Dangervest tend to collaborate.”

"Of course we do, we're partners in crime." Armstrong looks a bit disgruntled by being underestimated, though Blue certainly knows better than to do so. Even if Blue wasn't vigilant to a fault, underestimating Cosmo Armstrong is a fool's gambit. Eccentric and unhinged as he may be, the man's a certified genius, without a doubt.

...which makes Blue acutely aware of something.

"You knew I was coming. You set up this meeting on purpose. Why." His tone is flat and neutral as ever, professional and cool. Armstrong rests his elbows on the table, leaning forward with determined fire in his eyes.

"Because we need to  _ talk. _ " The words drip with something harsh and biting, not that it's a surprise to Blue. Ever since the rivalry between Powers and Dangervest began to soften, Armstrong's been keeping a watchful eye on him. It makes more sense to Blue for Armstrong to have been vigilant  _ prior _ to the rivalry becoming less volatile, but to Blue, Armstrong is something of an enigma. Dangervest isn't much easier to puzzle out, but at least Dangervest is usually consistent.

"And what do we need to talk about, exactly." There's an urge in the back of his mind to arrest Armstrong now and be done with it, but aside from being an accomplice to Dangervest's crimes, there's little evidence of Armstrong having done anything in his own right. While his fondness for firearms is no mystery, there's still no proof that Armstrong is the arms dealer Blue is trying to capture. He  _ knows _ it's the truth, but without proof, his hands are tied.

Besides. He's almost curious about what could be so important.

"...it's about Rex." Armstrong seems almost reluctant to admit it, given the earlier comment about being his own man, but Blue says nothing of it. Individuals or not, Dangervest and Armstrong have an undeniably strong bond, though they're both unlikely to admit to it being romantic in nature.

~~ Even with the denial? Blue is incredibly envious. He'd give up nearly anything to have what Cosmo has, but there's no use. He doesn't deserve it. ~~

"What about him, Armstrong." Much of what Blue says sounds terse by default, but right now? He's tense. It's subtle, but it's there.

Armstrong looks away for a moment, his expression even harder to read than it normally is with his helmet covering his face. "...Rex told me about your last team up."

Blue knows the one he means. How could he not?

_ "Why are we doing this again, Dangervest." Blue's flat question is punctuated by a blast from his bionics, searing some of the dangling plantlife obscuring the path forward. _

_ Dangervest cuts through vines with a machete, glancing back at Blue with a typical sort of bright smile, one of the ones that's oddly assuring. Like he has things handled. Not that Blue will admit such to him. _

_ "I told you, bud, the relic in this temple is causing issues for the people in the area, and it's a two person effort. Cos is out on his own thing and the raptors aren't great in temples, so it's your lucky day, huh?" _

_ Blue rolls his eyes, but he doesn't feel the annoyance that goes with it. "Right. Lucky." _

_Spending time like this with Rex_ does _feel lucky, really. No bickering, just... teamwork. It's not as much of a rarity as it once was, but something special comes out in Rex every time, something Blue looks forward to seeing. Not that he'll admit it._

~~_Rex_~~ ~~_no, not Rex, he's only Rex in the privacy of Blue's own mind_~~ _Dangervest laughs. "Come on, Blue, you know you're having a_ little _fun."_

_ "I don't have fun," he deadpans, and Dangervest makes a teasing little 'tsk' noise. _

_ "You're a real killjoy, you know that?" _

_"Mhm. So you've told me." Blue burns through more vines, an angry looking viper nearly dropping directly on him. He averts it, and it slithers away to go elsewhere, but Blue frowns, glancing at Rex. "Do you_ intend _on the two of us dying before we even reach the temple? This surely wasn't the only path we could have taken."_

_ Dangervest scoffs. "It's called a shortcut, dude. We're not gonna die or get seriously injured, I know it for a fact." He taps on his temple as he references his clairvoyance. He pauses in his motion to turn and look at Blue. "Besides, danger builds charac—" _

_ There's a look in his eye, the same one that goes with his Danger Sense, but before Blue can ask what the problem is... the ground beneath Rex falls through. _

_He doesn't even remember deciding to move, he just_ had _to. It's not a choice, it's a need, primal and basic and raw. The need to keep Rex from falling._

_ The loose dirt beneath Rex's feet crumbles into a pit so deep that the end is impossible to discern, but Blue dives and snatches Rex's hand before he can tumble into the abyss.  _

_ Blue only gets a glimpse before he starts tugging Rex up to solid ground, but the look on Rex's face isn't one that belongs to his cocky persona. It's nothing less than raw terror, a sight so rare that Blue subconsciously began to suspect that Rex doesn't fear anything. _

_ Once Rex is on solid ground, Blue opens his mouth to ask if Rex is okay, or at least to make a pithy comment about danger building character in order to cover up his own fears, but there's no time for any of that as Rex Dangervest, man of a thousand titles, clings to Blue's chest and trembles like his life depends on it. _

_ Rex's fear of falling isn't unknown to Blue. He rarely sees it in action, but he knows it's there. So Rex clinging to him so tightly after something that clearly reawakened old trauma... This isn't anything to take advantage of. _

_ He's not the most soothing sort, but he knows the motions, and he carefully rubs Rex's shoulders, avoiding the canvas of scar tissue that is his back. Rex leans into the touch, arms clutching onto Blue tightly as he tries to breathe, and Blue can faintly hear him mumbling. _

_ "Acheroraptor... Achillobator... Adasaurus..." It's quiet mutters, but at this distance, Blue hears it fine, and there's a little pang of something in him. _

_The pang is accompanied by Danny speaking up._ Listing off dinosaurs to calm himself down is adorable, Dane, oh my god.

_ Blue gives a quiet mental affirmative, but continues to soothe Rex until he comes down fully from the panic. _

_ Soon enough, Rex stops listing, breathing out a shuddering sigh, but he doesn't pull away from Blue. "...maybe we should do this another time." Rex's voice is softer, too shaken for bravado, and Blue can only nod in response. _

_ Going back the way they came is much easier than getting there in the first place, but Blue feels Rex's fingers entwined with his for comfort regardless. _

Blue's expression doesn't change. "What did he tell you about it." There's a paranoid little spike in his gut, a spike that warns that he's going to be found out, that Cosmo  _ knows, _ that it's going to be just like one of his nightmares.

But Cosmo isn't moving to do any harm, or to convert his arm to a more combat ready form. He's just... squirming a little. Reluctant.

Blue doesn't say anything, and the silence stretches on for a few moments.

"...he said you saved his life. Helped him calm down. When it would've been easier to just let him fall." Cosmo's tone is difficult to place, though not for lack of trying on Blue's part.

"...those definitely are the events that took place. What's your point?"

Cosmo crosses his arms, squirming a bit more. "...I wanted to thank you. I wasn't there to help, and he'd be dead without you. So... thanks."

Surprise flickers across Blue's face. Gratitude? That's... not something he's used to, and it takes a moment for him to respond. "...it was no trouble. I live to serve."

Cosmo looks at him, frustrated. "Stop doing that. I'm trying to thank you, just accept it or don't."

Blue nods, a little stiff. "The gratitude is... appreciated."

"...don't think this means I like you." Cosmo looks away again.

"I would never assume anything of the sort."

"Rex is right, you  _ are _ depressing."

Blue mostly conceals the little pang of hurt that runs through him at that, only indicated by the slightest twitch of his shoulders, but Cosmo's smart enough to pick up on it.

"He didn't mean it in a bad way. More like..." Cosmo scowls. "...never mind. Not breaking that promise."

"What promise?"

"I can't tell you  _ that, _ either. Just..." Cosmo's expression goes... a bit strange. Hostile again, that much Blue recognizes, but with a note of something else that... looks like jealousy, almost. But what does Cosmo have to be jealous of?

"Just what?"

"...just keep your distance."

Blue's blood turns to ice. "I'm not sure what you're referring to."

Cosmo looks at Blue, expression far too knowing for comfort. "Don't play dumb with me, you  _ know. _ I'm not letting you hurt him." There's something there that goes unsaid, but Blue has no way to know what.

"...you have nothing to worry about there." Partly because hurting Rex is one of Blue's worst nightmares, and partly because there's no chance of intimacy regardless.

"You say that, but I've got no reason to trust it."

Blue raises an eyebrow. "If you can't trust my word, why are you asking for it?"

Cosmo makes a frustrated growly noise. "For reasons! Lay off!"

"...you improvised this meeting entirely, didn't you." The reaction to Blue going off script... it's telling.

"Maybe! What does it matter?!" Cosmo's getting a little more hostile, and Blue prepares to do... something. Even he isn't sure exactly what.

"It's just something I'm noting, it's not a judgement."

"Sure it's not. The point is that you need to back off of my man." Cosmo's glare is pointed, but Blue is unflinching.

"So you're admitting that you and Rex are in a relationship, then." Blue expects the wheedling that Rex tends to present, the 'it's just guys being dudes' argument.

"Yeah, we are, and for  _ some _ reason he sees something in you, so you need to back off!" As always, Cosmo surprises him, but it's the second half he finds particularly interesting.

"If he sees something in me, I wouldn't know what."

Cosmo grumbles out the word 'depressing', but he stands from his chair. "I've gotten the point across, I'm done here."

Blue raises an eyebrow. "Not going to continue the sale, then?" It's a tease, but hard to tell.

Cosmo stares at him. "Do you  _ want _ to buy a gun?"

He could say yes. He could arrest Cosmo for this right here and right now. It'd be easy.

"Impressive as your workmanship is, no." He stands from his chair once Cosmo does, and Cosmo floats into the air so he's not shorter than Blue.

"Of course this was all just a— impressive?" There's a flicker of surprise in Cosmo, and Blue nods.

"Your talent is undeniable. But again, I have no desire for firearms."

Cosmo squirms a little, looking like he's resisting the urge to wiggle. "Of course I'm talented!" He looks at Blue again. "I've... I've gotta go."

"I'm certainly not stopping you." Blue adjusts his jacket.

Cosmo fiddles with his helmet for a moment, pulling up the visor before dashing over to Blue in the blink of an eye.

He's about to speak, about to say something to remark on Cosmo’s sudden motion, but then he feels scarred lips press against his cheek. The displaced air of Cosmo's rapid escape makes the mark feel cool, and his cheeks warm up as he presses his hand to the spot, dumbfounded.

He's alone in the bunker now, Cosmo long gone, but he can't bring himself to move.

_ Aw, _ Danny sighs,  _ I was hoping I'd get that first kiss. _

Blue is too frazzled to speak in his thoughts, muttering to his brother aloud. "You can... you can have the next one."

Next one. What a novel concept, and yet...

Danny hums in acceptance, and Blue stares at where Cosmo disappeared to, contemplating the nature of a wild card.


End file.
